Form No. 10-300 (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS ______TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS UNAME HISTORIC OCEAN DRIVE—NEWPORT HISTORIC DISTRICT AND/OR COMMON LOCATION STREET& NUMBER _NOT FOR PUBLICATION CITY. TOWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Newport VICINITY OF STATE CODE COUNTY CODE Rhode Island Newport HCLASSIFI CATION CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS PRESENT USE X_DISTRICT —PUBLIC ^OCCUPIED —AGRICULTURE —MUSEUM _BUILDING(S) —PRIVATE —UNOCCUPIED —COMMERCIAL .XPARK —STRUCTURE ^_BOTH —WORK IN PROGRESS —EDUCATIONAL ^PRIVATE RESIDENCE —SITE PUBLIC ACQUISITION ACCESSIBLE —ENTERTAINMENT —RELIGIOUS —OBJECT _|N PROCESS —YES: RESTRICTED ^-GOVERNMENT —SCIENTIFIC —BEING CONSIDERED * YES: UNRESTRICTED —INDUSTRIAL —TRANSPORTATION _NO —MILITARY —OTHER: OWNER OF PROPERTY NAME STREET & NUMBER CITY. TOWN STATE __ VICINITY OF HLOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS,ETC. Newport City Hall STREET & NUMBER Broadway CITY. TOWN STATE Newport Rhode Island REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE DATE —FEDERAL —STATE —COUNTY —LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS CITY. TOWN STATE DESCRIPTION CONDITION CHECK ONE CHECK ONE —EXCELLENT —DETERIORATED —UNALTERED —ORIGINAL SITE —GOOD —RUINS —ALTERED —MOVED DATE_______ —FAIR _UNEXPOSED ———————————DESCRIBETHE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The Ocean Drive Ocean Avenue, or "the Ocean Drive" as it is also called, is a roadway and an area, really, which bounds the city of Newport from its southeastern to its southwestern extremities. This avenue extends circuitously for a distance of about four miles, beginning easterly at the south end of Bellevue Avenue and terminating westerly where it turns a corner and runs into Ridge Road, which leads back past Fort Adams towards the city. Winding Ocean Avenue is bordered on its left (south) side by several short stretches of beaches, a few; grassy mounds and some promontories or jetty-like rock formations, but mostly there by ocean inlets and cliffs. On its right (north) side it looks, with some variety, upon lowland fresh-water ponds, swamps and fields and high slopes with trees and shrubs. On either side of this way, and erected over the past one hundred years, are also a somewhat s:parsely spaced (and sometimes intentionally hidden) procession of sizeable summer residences displaying a variety of architectural and landscape styles. The area leads off to Price's Neck and on to Brenton Point and Castle Hill where Ocean Avenue ends and Ridge Road begins. Most prominent is Shamrock Cliff overlooking Jamestown Island and Newport Harbor. The properties are described below and keyed on the attached map: No. on map Ocean Avenue South side. 1. Spouting Rock Beach Association (Bailey's Beach) club-house and bath­ houses, c. 1939. Central block of two storeys in simplified Regency style, of brick with hipped roof; long cabana wings with wood wall cover, gable roofs. 2. Barn, XIX Century. Two-and-one-half storeys, gable roof, stucco wall cover. 3. The Ledges, 1867. Stick style; cross-gabled roof with dormers, clap­ board wall cover, partially-surrounding one-story porch, house is two- and-one-half storeys high with irregularly-placed windows, entrance in porch at angle on north side. 4. Carriage-chouse converted to residence, XIX Century. One-and-one-half storeys, gable roof, entrance on north side. 5. Seafield, 1883. 01 SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE - CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW -PREHISTORIC _ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC _COMMUNITY PLANNING _LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE _RELIGION -1400-1499 —ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC —CONSERVATION —LAW _SCIENCE -1500-1599 —AGRICULTURE —ECONOMICS —LITERATURE —SCULPTURE -1600-1699 —ARCHITECTURE —EDUCATION —MILITARY —SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN -1700-1799 _ART —ENGINEERING —MUSIC —THEATER -1800-1899 —COMMERCE —EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT —PHILOSOPHY _TRANSPORTATION .1900- —COMMUNICATIONS —INDUSTRY —POLITICS/GOVERNMENT —OTHER (SPECIFY) _INVENTION SPECIFIC DATES BUILDER/ARCHITECT STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Ocean Drive district has a character that contrasts sharply with the great houses on Bellevue Avenue—there are rolling green hills, rocky cliffs, pastures and houses ranging from Eidlitz f s Swiss Chalet of 1854, to McKim, Mead and White and including the early 18th century farms as well. The rocky shoreline is dotted with summer homes designed in a wide range of architectural styles. The magnificent landscaping was in part the work of Frederick Law Olmsted and as a result the roads and structures respect fully the natural terrain. These houses are much more private than the insular Bellevue Avenue and represent a different age and spirit. The Harrison Avenue-Beacon Hill area contains the early farms on Brenton land (Hammersmith Farm) and mid 19th century houses, neo classic structures by McKim, Mead and White (Beacon Rock), French chateaux by Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson and Tudor English on a grand scale (Bonniecrest) by John Russell Pope. Fort Adams falls within the district as well. !(*(» MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES See continuation sheet. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY ______"'" ' ^0^'* — — UTM REFERENCES A|l ,9 | |3|0,6|8 t 4 t Oi fc ,5 [9|4|5.2,0| BJL .9 j J3 |0.7| 0. 8. Q| |4 .5 |9 .112,2,01 ZONE EASTING NORTHING ZONE EASTING NORTHING c|l >9 I I3l0i2l5i2tol Lj5 b iPlSiliOJ_____oh. i9 | \3 JOi 2l5i 81 OJ k i5 J9 i3 111 61 OJ VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION ' See continuation sheet. LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE FORM PREPARED BY NAME/TITLE ____Carolyn Pitts, Architectural Historian___________________________ ORGANIZATION DATE ____Historic Sites Survey, National Park Service_______2/11/76____________ STREET & NUMBER TELEPHONE _____1100 L Street. N.W.____________________________202-523-5464________ CITY OR TOWN STATE ____Washington/ D.C. 20240_________________________________________ ESTATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CERTIFICATION THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS: NATIONAL__ STATE___ LOCAL___ As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE TITLE DATE DATS DATE 160 Form No 10-300a (Rev 10-74) U Nil hi) SI AIlSDl.i'ARIMI Nl Ol I ML IN Ik.KIOK FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECEIVED NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED Ocean Drive—Newport Historic District 7 CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER PAGE 9. Peach club and bath-houses, c. 191)5-1955. One storey, gable roof, clap­ board wall cover. 10. Hazard's Poach club and bath-houses, c. 1950-1955. One storey, hip and Cable roofs, wall cover of matched boarding. 12. Near Sea, by Ballantyne & Olson, 1937. French Provincial style; two-and- one-half storeys, brick wall cover, regularly-spaced windows, entrance on north side. 13. Little Clifton Berley, by Charles Barton Keen, 1930. French Provincial style; one-and-one-half storeys, pabled roofs with dormers, regularly- spsced windows, entrance on north side, garago-gate-lodp.e of stone. 15. Eagle's Nest, by William Aldrich and Henry Sleener, 1922-192L. Shingle- cum-Colonial Revival style; two-and-one-half storeys, steep cross-cabled roof, large chimneys, numerous windows in varied placement, entrance on north side, has garage building in same style. 16. Normandie, by William A. Delano, 19Ih. French Provincial style; one- and-one-half storeys, cross-pabled roof of red tile, wall cover of whitewashed brick, repularly-spaced windows, entrance at end of court in centre of east fa9ade, arched entrance through pate-lod^e 17. Seafair, by William MacKenzie, 1937. French Norman chateau style; two-and-one-half-storey main blocV- with long curving wines of ono- and one-half storeys, hiph hipped roof, ashlar wall cover, regularly- spaced windows, entrance in centre of north elevation. 18. Bay House, by Angell ft Swift, 1917. California Shingle style; two- and-one-half storeys, irrerular. plan under hipped roof, shingle wall cover, numerous windows, porches on north and south sides with entrance throufrh north porch. 19. House, c. 1950-1960? Cottage style; rablo roof with ched dormer, one- and-one-half storeys with stucco and shingle wall cover, entrance on nortv> side. Form No '10-300a ,Rev 10-74) UNITtDSTAILSDLPAR'lMl N I Ol THL IN IhKIOK FOR NFS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECEIVED NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED Ocean Drive Newport Historic District 7 3 CONTINUATION SHEET________________ITEM NUMBER_______PAGE___________________ 20. Flay House, 1926. "Old English" stylo; two-and-ono-half storeys, cross-gabled roof, shingled wall cover, varied window placement, bal­ conies, entrance on south side, one-storey garage-cum-guort house. 21. Wildacre, by Bernard Maybeck, 1901. Shingle stylo; two-and-one-half storeys, cross-Railed and hipped roof, stone and shingle wall cover, numerous chimneys of rough stone, variously-placed and grouped windows, entrance on north side. North side. 6. High Tide, by Whitney Warren, 19QO. Mediterranean villa style; two storeys, hipped and gabled roof, numerous chimnevs, stucco wall cover, regularly-placed windows,